The Bet
by NoMangaOrAnimeEqualsDead
Summary: Io x Tsumiki. I dub thee... IoTsu! Now then. We all know Mayoi and Sakaki are just about the worst two people you could put together in a room because absolutely NOTHING good would come of it prank wise. -I ship both these couples like crazy- So what do they have planned now? And how will it affect the famed tsundere and unknowing Casanova?


**The** **Bet**_**  
**_

_IoxTsumiki... I DUB THEE... IOTSU! Since no one has posted, and I haven't seen a pairing name anywhere.. Teehee, this makes me feel so happy :D_

* * *

Mayoi and Sakaki can't help but feel like they need to intervene and move things along faster in Io and Tsumiki's relationship. Of course, the two ridiculously insane people of the group feel the need to compete.

The bet?

To get Io and Tsumiki a little bit closer to each other by the end of the day, if not _together_, as in _relationship_.

The loser?

One wish from the winner must be granted. No matter the case.

**Time Limits: Within the school day**

**Restrictions: No ruining the other's plan unless absolutely necessary. No outside forces are allowed to participate in the bet itself, but their help can be enlisted.**

**End Time: When school day ends (today)**

**Start time: When the school day begins (today)**

**Ready.**

**Set.**

**NYAN!**

"Wait, what? Nyan?" Mayoi paused in her "set" stance. She glanced over at one of her closest friends, and also her rival in the bet for today, Sakaki, who looked like was shrugging in her direction not knowing where the "nyan" came from. It was hard to tell when both looked like they were about to run a marathon (not that it was drawing any attention, _at all_).

"Mayoi… Sakaki… What are you two doing?"

The two stood up nonchalantly and brushed imaginary dust off themselves.

"Io-saan~ Hime-chaaaaan~! Good morning~!" Mayoi sang while flying towards Tsumiki to hug her and give her more (unreliable) hints on how to capture the Casanova-slash-idiot-when-it-comes-to-love Otonashi Io. "Ne ne, Tsumiki-chan~! Did you meet him again on your way here~?" She whispered. "Have you mentioned anything about it being an extraordinary coincidence?" The whispering became louder as she spilled Tsumiki's entire reasoning for meeting Io 'coincidentally'.

Sakaki couldn't help but wince at the loud sound of the cracking wall as Mayoi made another impression on the wall beside two other holes. Watching Io sigh and turn around to keep walking after Tsumiki caught up with him, he went to help Mayoi out of the wall.

Hime stood there, wondering what was going on between everyone. She was talking with Tsumiki and Io normally (well as normally as possible), and then they came across Mayoi and Sakaki seemingly planning something before they started getting into racing positions.

"Uwaaah!/Aaah!"

Hime turned on her foot suddenly to ask if they were alright and slipped, falling backwards onto the concrete. "Oww… "

The other two looked up from their pile at Hime who was looking sideways at them, she sat slowly with the help of Io and Tsumiki who had come back to see what was keeping them. When Hime's vision came into focus she collapsed with a roaring nosebleed.

"Hime!" Mayoi shouted, rolling over to face her but also to avoid the stream of blood. "I didn't even do anything so why are you- Oh. Hullo there Sakaki~!" She chirped. Nervously.

When Sakaki had finally pulled her out of the wall, the momentum had been too much for him to stop, so in an effort to keep Mayoi safe (his sister didn't raise a complete idiot, he _did_ actually have chivalry engrained into his head), he pulled her close and let himself fall on his back, on the ground, hugging Mayoi.

She was actually pretty light.

Mayoi was a bit… Stunned. She was safe (her head had taken quite a bit of bashing from Tsumiki over the years, so that she wasn't too concerned about) and unharmed. Thanks to Sakaki's quick thinking. "_Me thinks he's unconsciously turning the bet in another direction…_" She rolled the last bit off of him, cooling her simmering cheeks with years of practice because of Io's nosebleed-inducing statements. "_Once! I was like Hime! Now! I am no more! I am Mayoi the Great! I am the one who will. WIN. THIS. BET! Mmm. I think those popular meals at lunch would be a great way to start the afternoon classes tomorrow._" A shark like grin appeared on her face after helping Sakaki up from the ground.

"Hey Tsumiki. Did you want to go to the arcade this afternoon with me? They're having another contest for that fighting game you beat Sakaki at a few weeks ago." Io was mentioning to her, patting her head as she internally purred and her cheeks colored.

"Mm… NYO!" She suddenly shouted ; her tsun-neko-ness coming out.

"_Cute…_" Io thought.

Sakaki smirked. "You were going to take Miniwa on a date? And you didn't tell me! Your best friend since childhood!" He sobbed dramatically before flinching at the menacing aura that washed over him.

"You're going to forget you said that." He was internally twitching at her cat like stare, the almost soundless threat made him want to go hide behind Mayoi who was helping Hime stop the nosebleed.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Hime smiled, she always liked eating with her friends; it was never a dull day, though sometimes… It was a bit scary… Today wasn't one of those days, thankfully. But why was she being dragged through the hallway by Mayoi again…?

"Mayoi-chan… Why am I doing this again?"

"Oh, you're helping me with getting Io and Tsumiki together!"

A slight dribble of blood rolled out of her nose at the thought of them dating. "Hey Mayoi, what if the plan doesn't work?"

"Then we try again with a new plan!" She cackled in response before pushing some buttons on the vending machine to keep the cover of 'buying drinks for everyone and Hime-chan is helping'. Sakaki, on the other hand, was being provided a clean opportunity to strike and make his mark in the progression of the bet.

* * *

When they arrived in the classroom again, they found a missing Sakaki, Tsumiki in Io's grasp with blazing cheeks and steam nearly visibly rising from her head.

Hime, of course, was on the floor bleeding from her nose again. Rushing to help her back up and staunch the fifth nosebleed of the day (and it was all Io's fault. Again.) she noticed a distinct hole in the door. Mayoi handed Hime her handkerchief and edged herself around the door: one distinctly battered boy lay in the hallway.

"What did you _do_?"

"I played the game, and didn't succeed much for the bet." He cockily answered as she pulled another handkerchief from her other pocket and soaked it in the water from the nearby drinking fountain where she crouched beside him and gently pressed it to his now forming bruise.

"Doesn't your sister ever wonder how it is you come home so battered?"

"She never asks actually. She just gives me this weird smile."

"Riiight… Wait. You never answered my question. What did you do?" She paused to look him over to make sure she'd tended to his Category: Tsumiki injuries.

A sly look at her made her laugh, "You were yourself weren't you?"

"Naturally." He grinned at her, accepting her hand to help him up after she stood.

* * *

After Mayoi had conned Hime into going with her to the vending machine "_probably to have her help with her winning the bet, but I won't lose! I'll do it with man power!_" Sakaki grinned at Io, who immediately asked if he needed to be sent to jail. Yes. Jail. His own best friend, so cold to him. It was tragic really.

He leaned over, because he was sitting next to Tsumiki who was across from Io (_no surprise there_), and started whispering to her. Actually, he was only telling her not to hurt him badly, and that this would help her relationship with Io. She stood up suddenly flustered as always and denying it outright.

Lo and behold, the tall knight, Io, came to her rescue, patting her on the head and threatening Sakaki.

"I said nothing bad, dear Io-kun~"

"When you're acting like that and Tsumiki is all but running from you, then there's an issue."

He was calm as always, but for some reason he never knew, he always felt a little bit annoyed when Sakaki was talking to Tsumiki. It never bugged him enough to care about it, so once again, the feeling was brushed aside. Sakaki, in the mean time, was having a pleasant discussion with Tsumiki, again, telling her how to get to Io's heart (no one ever said it had to be true. Or logical…) with ideas rivaling Mayoi's Valentine's Day plans. Then he was flying and he vaguely heard Io mention something about cats.

"You're so cute." Io mumbled while petting her head. "I would even give up playing with cats to play with you." Cue the blood rushing to her face and a near fainting spell. He only meant that because she was so cat-like, it'd be fun to see her running around chasing a yarn ball or something.

* * *

Mayoi walked back into the room with Tsumiki's latest victim: Sakaki, and deposited him in Io's chair before turning back to the couple-that-wasn't-a-couple-yet with a leering grin.

"Ne ne, Tsumiki-chan," Hime was finally awake and back to normal as Mayoi began her frontal assault. "Have you told him _anything_ about _it_ yet?"

Tsumiki's confused, but cold glare faced her.

"Oh. Ya know… Your _giant_ and pretty obvious _crush_ on _him_?"

The color began to pool in the tsundere girl's face as the sputtering continued to fade from the room's occupants hearing, unfortunately, that also meant that the rapid intake of sudden breaths had finally caught up with Tsumiki.

She passed out right after knocking Mayoi a good ways away from her.

* * *

The afternoon classes were just finishing when Tsumiki woke up. "Mayoi needs to shut up…" She muttered, sitting up in one of the bed in the nurse's office. She walked out of the office just as the bell rang.

Sakaki and Mayoi sighed, they had both lost, no progress was made whatsoever, and the couple-that-wasn't-a-couple-yet was still in the same position romantically as they had been at the start of the bet.

"Hey look. Snow!" Mayoi pointed out while waiting for Tsumiki to come back to get her stuff.

Hime cheered but suddenly flinched when the door slammed open at Tsumiki's unnatural strength.

As Io and Sakaki talked about Hotch Potch and shifts, Tsumiki zoomed to her desk and grabbed her bag. "See you later, Hime… Mayoi…" A warning glare from her caused the orange haired mad scientist/mechanic to cringe as a cold chill ran down her back.

And then she was gone. Io blinked, surprised at the sudden appearance and disappearance. Sakaki leered at Mayoi from behind him, who immediately replied with her shark like grin.

He was so concerned for Tsumiki he failed to notice the shared mischievous looks and the scared but curious glance when he bid his farewell to the three and quickly walked out after her.

"Think something's going to happen?"

"It's not like they're going to tell us, Mayoi."

"Uh… What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, Hime-chan~"

* * *

"Tsumiki!" He called out; easily catching up to her, his umbrella held out over her while he brushed the snow from her hair and shoulders. She felt her face warm at his usual dense kindness.

_It would never go any further… Would it…?_

He leaned down slowly. Kissed her cheek before making his way towards his home, his own cheeks colored lightly and his mind whirling, questioning what possessed him to do such a thing.

_Because dreams are only desires and wishes and predictions._

She nearly passed out, her face burning despite the cold snow falling around her, showing a sharp contrast of red and white and a navy umbrella in her pale hands.

_But sometimes… It's that and __**more**__._

Mayoi and Sakaki would most certainly not be hearing of any of this.

_Life is filled with surprises._

And Io's head would be bitten before he mentioned anything.

_So keep looking for them._

* * *

**Grrrr... The ending to the 12th episode... I was soooo miffed! But I'm not saying since that would be spoilers. Anyway...  
**

**Don't own Acchi Kocchi TT-TT  
**

**Kaida-chan out~  
**


End file.
